Yesterday, Mr Nasrom Abdullah, 43, a convert to Catholicism, denied that he had strangled her during an 'exorcism' in Novena Church in 2004.

Giving his side of the story, the former tennis coach told the court that Madam Valli, who was thrashing about violently, had in fact tried to throttle herself and had to be restrained by two women in church.

Mr Nasrom, however, admitted that he had lost his temper with Madam Valli after the two-hour prayer session and had told her: 'If I had the power, I will knock your head.'

He was in church attending a farewell party for a fellow church-goer, who was going overseas, when he saw Madam Valli behaving hysterically.

Known to his friends as Nash, Mr Nasrom was the first of the six church-goers being sued by Madam Valli to testify. He took part in a so-called 'exorcism', during which Madam Valli claimed she was assaulted.

When she took the stand last November, an agitated Madam Valli had shouted, while pointing to Mr Nasrom and beating her chest: 'The botak (bald) man strangle me! Strangle me now!'

Yesterday, Mr Nasrom said that when two priests had gone with her into a room, his group had been so disturbed by her 'weird and abnormal' behaviour that they had gathered outside to pray for her.

Shortly after, he added, Father Simon Tan emerged from the room asking for helpers to pray for her.

He was among those who volunteered.

Quizzed by Madam Valli's counsel R. S. Bajwa, Mr Nasrom said he thought at the time that she was possessed, but disagreed with the lawyer's assertion that he had strangled her in a bid to cast out spirits.

He maintained that, when he was in the room, all he had done was to pray for her and, at times, hold her down by the ankles to stop her from hurting herself.

Mr Bajwa, pointing to how Mr Nasrom had threatened to 'knock' Madam Valli's head after the session, described him as a violent person who flew off the handle very easily.

Although he admitted that he might have lost his temper then, Mr Nasrom disagreed with the assessment of his temperament.

'In fact, a lot of my friends say that I'm very soft,' he added.

Mr Nasrom said he has been traumatised by the incident that night and still has nightmares.

selinal@sph.com.sg